The Historical center is located in the heart of the San Juan de Carricitos land grant, the largest grant ever made in south Texas. It was made to Jose Narciso Cavazos in 1790 by the King of Spain and consisted of 600,000 acres, for which Cavazos paid $53. 60. The Museum houses mostly artifacts and memorabilia from the Nueces Strip; that strip of land between the Nueces and the Rio Grande Rivers that was the immediate cause of the Mexican War. The main building is a High School built in 1924. It was slated for demolition but saved by the efforts of local citizens. Additions of a Farm and Ranch room and a Creative Arts center have since been made.
Come by and try to locate yourself on an 1884 map of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, or gaze at the memorabilia from the La Parra Ranch, the 400,000 acre Mifflin Kennedy Ranch. We have everything from 50 million year old mammoth bones up to modern day mounted native animals.
For those of you interested in the sea we have a beachcomber's collection, all from our own Padre Island, plus a large seascape. Add to that an anchor from one of those Spanish ships blown ashore on Padre Island near Port Mansfield in 1554.
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